ATLANTA, Dec. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- This weekend,
leaders from Georgia Power announced a series of historic grants
from The Georgia Power Foundation to UNCF to support HBCUs across
the state. Over the next five years, the Foundation will award
$500,000 in grants to assist the UNCF
in its mission to provide equal access to college education through
a robust and nationally-recognized pipeline of under-represented
students. UNCF's goal is to increase the total number of African
American college graduates by focusing on activities that ensure
more students are college-ready, enrolled in college and on track
to graduate.
Over the past decade, Georgia Power and the Georgia Power
Foundation have contributed $1.2
million in support of UNCF through initiatives focused on
education, youth scholarships and STEM.
"We are grateful to the Mayor's office for continuing to present
this annual event to raise funds and visibility for the important
work of UNCF and, on behalf of Georgia Power, we are happy to be
able to expand our support of this impactful organization," said
Bentina Terry, senior vice president of Regional External Affairs
and Community Engagement at Georgia Power and co-chair of this
year's UNCF Mayor's Masked Ball Atlanta. "We believe that a quality
education and uplifting and mentoring the next generation of
Georgians through our time and resources is key to ensuring our
city and our state remain a thriving place to live, work and
serve."
"For nearly 80 years, UNCF has helped more than one million
students earn college degrees. None of this would be possible
without partners like this year's supporting sponsor, Georgia
Power," said Atlanta Mayor
Keisha Lance Bottoms. "They are a
tremendous community ally, and I am grateful for Georgia Power's
significant contribution towards the education of students enrolled
in HBCUs across the state."
The new 5-year commitment follows a recent announcement by
Southern Company of $10 million in
grants to provide Historically Black College and University (HBCU)
students with incentives to use their talents to drive economic
development in the communities that surround their campuses through
internships, leadership development and innovation to support
career readiness. This is part of a broader $50 million multi-year initiative by Southern
Company to provide scholarships, internships, leadership
development, access to technology and innovation to support career
readiness for students attending select HBCUs within the Southern
Company system's service footprint. Of that original commitment,
$40 million has been pledged to date
– including a $25 million founding
partnership with Apple to launch the Propel Center; a new digital
learning hub; business incubator; and global innovation
headquarters in Atlanta for HBCU
students; $5 million to increase
access to technology for HBCU students and the newest grants
announced today.
Georgia Power's Social Justice Commitment
Georgia
Power, along with the Georgia Power Foundation, have committed to
invest $87 million throughout
2021-2025 to continue advancing racial equity and social justice
efforts in Georgia. This funding
will support initiatives focused on education equity, criminal
justice equity, economic empowerment, and energy justice. The
company's investment is part of the overall commitment by Southern
Company and its charitable foundations to invest a combined
$225 million over five years to
support these efforts. This financial commitment is a key component
of Southern Company's Moving to Racial Equity framework to help
guide and further define its actions and commitments around racial
equity work.
About Georgia Power
Georgia Power is the largest
electric subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), America's
premier energy company. Value, Reliability, Customer Service and
Stewardship are the cornerstones of the Company's promise to 2.6
million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties. Committed to
delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy at rates
below the national average, Georgia Power maintains a diverse,
innovative generation mix that includes nuclear, coal and natural
gas, as well as renewables such as solar, hydroelectric and wind.
Georgia Power focuses on delivering world-class service to its
customers every day and the Company is recognized by J.D. Power as
an industry leader in customer satisfaction. For more information,
visit www.GeorgiaPower.com and connect with the Company on
Facebook (Facebook.com/GeorgiaPower), Twitter
(Twitter.com/GeorgiaPower) and Instagram
(Instagram.com/ga_power).
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SOURCE Georgia Power